Irene Sharaff

Irene Sharaff
Name	Irene Sharaff
Birth date	March 26, 1910
Birth place	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Death date	March 15, 1993
Death place	New York City, New York, United States
Occupation	Costume designer
Years active	1930s–1980s
Awards	Tony Awards, Academy Award, Drama Desk Award

Irene Sharaff was an American costume designer prominent in Broadway theatre, Hollywood film, and ballet from the 1930s through the 1980s. Renowned for her use of color and period detail, she collaborated with leading figures in dance, theatre, and film and helped shape visual styles for productions by companies such as the New York City Ballet and studios like Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her career intersected with major artists, institutions, and productions across the twentieth century.

Early life and education

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she grew up amid the cultural milieu of Philadelphia Museum of Art and local institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She pursued formal training at the University of Pennsylvania and later at the Parsons School of Design in New York City, where exposure to collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Cooper Hewitt informed her sense of historical costume. Early influences included exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, performances at Carnegie Hall, and touring productions from companies like the Ballets Russes.

Career

Sharaff began her professional work in theatre in the 1930s, joining creative circles that included figures from Broadway such as Orson Welles, George Abbott, and Jerome Robbins. She transitioned to film at studios including Twentieth Century-Fox, Warner Bros., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, designing for directors like Elia Kazan, George Cukor, and Vincente Minnelli. In dance she collaborated with choreographers and institutions such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and the New York City Ballet, contributing to ballets and opera productions at venues including the Metropolitan Opera and the Lincoln Center complex. Her career encompassed collaborations with producers, set designers, and composers from organizations like the American Ballet Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company when touring productions intersected with her work.

Major works and style

Her notable stage credits included designs for productions such as original runs of West Side Story, The King and I, and revivals associated with directors from Broadway and opera houses. In film she worked on prominent titles for major studios and with stars managed by agencies handling talents like MGM contract players, contributing costumes that appeared alongside performances by actors associated with Hollywood luminaries. Her style fused researched historical references from archives at institutions like the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum with modernist color theory popularized by artists displayed at the Museum of Modern Art and galleries in SoHo. Sharaff was known for her palette choices that echoed trends set by designers and artists such as Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and costume peers like Edith Head and Adrian (designer). In ballet and dance she used fabrics and construction techniques informed by work done at textile workshops connected to the Cooper Hewitt and collaborations with textile houses supplying Broadway and Hollywood.

Awards and recognition

Sharaff received multiple accolades, including Tony Award honors for her work on Broadway productions and an Academy Award for costume design in film. She was awarded by organizations such as the Drama Desk and recognized by institutions like the American Theatre Wing and Tony Awards Administration Committee. Her honors placed her alongside other award-winning designers and performers celebrated at ceremonies attended by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Personal life

Her personal associations connected her to artistic and cultural figures frequenting venues like The New Yorker salons, private collections in Greenwich Village, and social circles that included painters represented by galleries such as Gagosian Gallery and Pace Gallery. She maintained friendships with peers from the Juilliard School community and with photographers and critics working for publications like The New York Times and Vogue. Sharaff divided her time between residences in New York City and travel to archives and ateliers in cities including London, Paris, and Rome for research and fittings.

Legacy and influence

Her legacy is preserved in costume collections and archives at institutions such as the Billy Rose Theatre Division, the Museum of the City of New York, and university special collections associated with the New York Public Library. Her work influenced generations of designers teaching at schools such as Parsons School of Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, and programs at Yale School of Drama. Scholars in departments at Columbia University, New York University, and the University of California, Los Angeles study her techniques and contributions to stagecraft and film aesthetics. Exhibitions and retrospectives at institutions including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Cooper Hewitt have showcased her designs, and her approach to color and historical synthesis continues to inform contemporary costume practice in companies like the Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and touring Broadway productions.

Category:American costume designers Category:Tony Award winners Category:Academy Award winners